Part 3 Of 3 Part Series On Legal Aspects Of Fundraising: Corporate Sponsorship And Cause Marketing

Training Details

About

Nonprofits often team up with for-profit companies to conduct fundraising activities, with part of the proceeds from the sale of a product or service (such as a book or t-shirt) benefiting the nonprofit. You may be surprised to hear that many states, including Georgia, have laws regulating these promotions! Corporate sponsorships are another fantastic way for nonprofits to raise funds, but nonprofits must proceed with caution when structuring sponsorship benefits. The payment could be either a corporate sponsorship or advertising income, depending on how the donor is recognized and what the donor receives in return. The distinction is significant because advertising income can be considered Unrelated Business Income and can therefore be taxable.

Laurisa Curran is Assistant General Counsel of the American Cancer Society, the nation’s largest community-based voluntary health organization. Laurisa joined the American Cancer Society’s Office of Corporation Counsel as Associate Counsel in 2004. She moved to the position of Senior Corporation Counsel in 2008 and to Assistant General Counsel in 2013.

Laurisa is the primary counsel for all of the Society’s intellectual property matters. In addition, she serves as the principal legal counsel for the Marketing and Corporate Communications Departments. Laurisa has extensive experience advising on trademark and copyright issues, advertising and marketing matters and negotiating celebrity engagements. She has also advised the Society on issues related to non-profit governance, including playing an instrumental role in the development of the Society’s first Stewardship Report.

Laurisa received her A.B. degree from the University of Georgia in 1997. She earned her J.D. degree from the University of Georgia in 2000. Prior to joining the American Cancer Society, Laurisa was in private practice in the Atlanta office of Kilpatrick Stockton LLP where she focused on securities law, mergers and acquisitions.

Nicole Pierce

Founder, Pierce Law PC

Nicole Pierce is the founder of Pierce Law PC, where she practices as a corporate attorney focusing on helping companies manage risks while growing and adopting new technologies. Some of her specialty focus areas are marketing law, licensing, outside general counsel services, commercial contracts, non-profit issues, and mergers and acquisitions. Prior to founding her firm, Nicole served as the Assistant General Counsel at the American Cancer Society, Inc., the nation’s largest community-based voluntary health organization, for more than 14 years. In that role she provided strategic legal counsel to many of its executives and business units, including ACS’s Marketing and Revenue Department, where she balanced the business goals of raising money in a dynamic marketplace with institutional risk.

Prior to joining ACS, Nicole spent seven years in private practice in the Atlanta office of Kilpatrick Townsend LLP, a large international law firm, where she focused on advising entities on corporate and securities matters, including public offerings, private equity and venture financings. She also had a robust mergers and acquisitions practice. Nicole received her B.S. from Florida State University in 1994 and earned her J.D. from the University of Florida in 1997.

Outcomes

Don’t miss this informative workshop for an overview of: What is required in Georgia for cause marketing promotions? What does your cause agreement with the for-profit need to include? What disclosures do you need to include in your cause promotional materials to the public? What is considered a qualified corporate sponsorship under the Internal Revenue Code? What benefits can nonprofits give sponsors that will not make the income taxable? What benefits will trigger Unrelated Business Income Tax and should be avoided? What other options do corporate contributors have?